About the Song
Composed by Al Byron and Paul Evans, “Roses Are Red (My Love)” was recorded by Bobby Vinton and was his first hit. The song was released in April 1962.
Vinton found the song in a reject pile at Epic Records. He first recorded it as an R&B number but was allowed to re-record it in a slower more dramatic arrangement, with strings and a vocal choir added. It reached No. 1 in Australia, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, and the United States, and was a major hit in many other countries as well.
The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on July 14, 1962, and remained there for four weeks. The single was also the first number-one hit for Epic Records. Billboard ranked the record No. 4 in their year-end ranking “Top 100 Singles of 1962.” Additionally, they ranked it no. 36 in their year-end ranking of the top Rhythm and Blues records of 1962. The song was also ranked no. 17 on Cash Box‘s “Top 100 Chart Hits of 1962“
Vinton was signed by CBS (Epic) Records in 1960 as a bandleader. Two years and two failed LPs later, he was called to a meeting with label executives who wanted to drop him from Epic Records.
In the meeting, Vinton pointed out that his contract called for him to record and release two more songs. The executives quickly exited the meeting room to confer with the label’s lawyers – who were attending – and consider the situation. While everybody but the bandleader was out of the room, Vinton listened to the rejected demo records and found a recording that stopped him cold: “Roses Are Red (My Love).”
After the executives returned to the meeting, Vinton persuaded them to allow him to sing on the next, and in their eyes final, single – the song that he found literally on the trash heap.
When he first recorded this, Vinton didn’t like the results because it was the wrong tempo, so he tried again. Released and hit no. 1 in the US, the second version was successful enough to earn him a new recording contract, this time as a solo recording act.